The most recent MEAs explicitly recognise that developing countries require financial and technical assistance in order to build reporting capacity.
The Parties to the Montreal Protocol established a mechanism to provide financial and technical assistance to enable developing countries to comply with the control measures of the treaty. Assistance for strengthening reporting capacity (as well as other capacity building activities) in those countries is provided by the Multilateral Fund. Recognising the importance of accurate and timely data reporting, the Fund finances the establishment and operation of the national focal point for this MEA (known as the National Ozone Unit or NOU), and provides assistance with understanding data reporting requirements and resolving data reporting problems through several mechanisms:
- information support (including guidelines) through a clearinghouse function;
- mutual help from other countries in the region through Regional Networks of ODS Officers and South-South Cooperation [see discussion in Guideline 34(c)
]; and
- direct assistance to NOUs from the UNEP Compliance Assistance Programme and from Implementing Agencies through Institutional Strengthening projects.
For more information, see
http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction
or contact
ozonaction@unep.fr
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) operates a similar GEF Fund to assist in implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
For example, the Conference of the Parties to the CBD provides regular guidance to the GEF, as the operating entity of the financial mechanism under the Convention, to provide financial assistance to developing country Parties for the preparation of national reports (see for example Decision IV/14, Paragraph 5). For more information on how to access this funding, contact secretariat@biodiv.org
Similarly, the GEF provides up to $50,000 to qualified countries to assist in preparing their National Communications under the UNFCCC. These funds are accessed through the GEF Focal Point for the particular State.